The purposes of this symposium are to: identify available sweeteners; search for new non-cariogenic, commercially utilizable sweeteners; define areas where research is necessary; seek to encourage food, confectionery, and beverage industries to formulate products using other sweeteners than sugars; discuss ways and means to provide the benefits of suitable products to consumers; and make this information widely available for use through publication in monograph form. The proposed symposium will bring together persons of diverse backgrounds and interests from dental research and other university disciplines, industry, federal research and regulatory agencies, and public interests groups. Discussions and exchange will focus on various perspectives on sweeteners, the role of carbohydrates in dental caries, and current and future considerations for synthetic sweeteners of natural origin. The final sessions of the symposium will provide opportunities for task forces to consider specific areas and develop assessments and recommendations for future research in this area which will be reported and discussed in the concluding forum.